Omega Theta
by Saeger
Summary: Two new mavericks are challenging the duo of X and Zero. There's something different about these two, though... 2OCs, please RR! Joint effort with Yuri Rekusentai (my sister) rating for caution- violence, language are featured.
1. First Encounter

A/N: This is going to be a joint effort with my sister, Yuri Rikusentai. Alterante chapter's will be alternate people- starting with me. This first one's going to be long, though, so... sorry 'bout that. I don't own Megaman X, any characters of it, or anything associated with that 'product'. I own Omega and Yul, my sis owns Theta. Enjoy!  
  
A/N #2:Hiyo y'all! Yeps. This is a ficcy we're workin' on. Comments and suggestions welcome, criticism... okay that's welcomed too, I s'pose. Flames? Flames will be used to burn anyone we see fit. Including, say, Sigma. Or Yul. Whatever. Enjoy! Oh! And review or I'll stalk you to the ends of the earth with my Flaming Cattle Prod of Death, Doom, Destruction, and other Unfortunate Things that Happen to People Whilst I Laugh at Them. Kapish?

* * *

"Yes sir, I'm leaving now." The microphone snapped off, and the heavily aromoured and armed cyborg turned and started to walk. His black plating seemed to absorb the light, darkening the room. "Theta, they're getting closer. It's time to test the strength of these Hunters."  
The smaller, speed centered cyborg stood from against the wall. Her blood-red armour reflected brightly what light there was as she walked by her elder's side. They worked with eachother on everything- ever since they'd been created. Some said they were siblings before they were converted, but the truth died with their memories.  
"Omega, why does everyone worry about these two in particular? Megaman X and Zero... Those two names cause more panic alone than if there was an attack from an entire fleet of hunters. What's the reason?"  
The dark cyborg didn't seem to hear the question, but the girl didn't worry. She knew her partner well enough to understand- he was thinking of his answer. He wouldn't respond if he wasn't sure. He didn't like to speak to say nothing. Theta snapped to attention as he started to speak.  
"The pair of them have caused severe amounts of destruction. Not only to the old bases, but to our honorable leader as well. Master Sigma himself has been defeated- and nearly destroyed- by each of them seperately. Together, as the team they can be, they may finish us all before any plans are sufficient enough to act upon."  
Theta hoped he would continue, but at that time other 'enlightened' reploids and such crowded into the corridor, fighting to get to their emergency stations. Some- the unlucky ones- were going to try to stall the two top class hunters. The others were going to a temporary evacuation.  
Omega and Theta were simply going to the entrance to the base, to await their final test. Their last challenge to prove their faith and usefullness to Sigma. They were confident, and not worried about the lack of back-up and reinforcements. If they failed, they would be dead. If they survived without completing it, there would be no status change. If they passed? Well, then the Hunter threat was all but over. They would either be praised, or dismantled for overcoming Sigma's own strength.  
Not that Omega cared.If they won, they could hold their own against anything. If they didn't, it wasn't worth living. He would have failed himself, his partner, and his master, even if they managed to survive. The two wormed their way out of the crowd, Omega using his great size to his advantage, clearing a path easily. Soon they were at the entrance, and ready for the infamous Maverick Hunters to arrive.  
Omega ran a double check on his systems, powered up his weapons just in case, and then closed his eyes, fully satisfied. The stalling would have barely affected the duo's movement, if at all. That is, if the tails were true. X and Zero would be arriving very quickly.  
"Get ready." Omega almost whispered to the girl. "Do not underestimate the capacity of our opponents. As a team will they fight- so should we."  
"Yep, a team. At our best. But you shouldn't overestimate them, Omega." Theta chided. She was totally ready for this. Almost to the point of hyperactivity. Regardless, she nodded and pulled out her weapon- a custom T-blade. A glaring red energy beam that could be wielded as a sword. Omega's O-canon was in top order, as he'd earlier assessed. The ominous black energy canon had been affectionately dubbed 'The End' by those who had seen it tested. Omega was the first trustworthy member capable of withstanding the tremedous shock emitted by the canon's outleash at full power.  
There was a blur of red as Theta tested her speed, and Omega nodded his approval. They balanced eachother out very well. He was the powerhouse- his canon could dish out enough to destroy a small city, and he could take almost as much blast damage. His design had sacrificed the oportunity for speed to gain more power. His armours weak point was at the nape of his neck, making him very sensitive to people sneaking up behind him. Theta, on the other hand, was the speedster. She was comparitively fragile, and couldn't stand nearly as much damage. She had the speed and agility to avoid most chance of recieving any to balance it off.  
The two cyborgs, finally satisfied, stood side by side. In silence they waited for the confrontation, without moving. It couldn't be too long. They could hear the sound of mechanical running just outside.  
"Come on out, Hunters. Are you ready to play?" Theta taunted, bouncing on the balls of her feet, ready to run. Omega's eyes narrowed, but he couldn't stop a slight smirk from playing on his lips. She was so eager for this fight. Still so young, with an emotion chip full of new perspectives. His happened to be faulty, for the most part. Slight traces of anger, and a rare hint of sarcasm were the only things he'd ever remembered feeling.  
Omega snapped out of this train of thought to listen to the Hunters' attempts to break through the reinforced door. He needed to remember what he knew of these two. X would be the one with the blaster. No, he remembered, the X-buster. He had different equipment options for the buster, but would have to take time to switch. He shouldn't prove too difficult, unless he'd improved speedwise.  
Zero had something similar to Theta's weapon- a Z-saber. Very slight difference in design there, so far as he could tell. But Zero's armour was better suited for close range, stand-and-fight combat. He could withstand more damage than Theta. Omega would usually have opted to take that kind of opponent on, but Zero had speed. Man, did he ever. Zero would be left for Theta to whittle down. Omega would have difficulty keeping up with the former maverick, Zero.  
Theta had seemed to reach the same conclusion, as she centered herslf in front of where a light turquoise (A/N: unless the colour on my TVs messed up, it's either turquoise or light blue.) blade was starting to breach the door. Omega nodded, and moved in front of the heated area the buster was creating. Theta grinned at her partner.  
"I'm ready for 'em. You wanna give 'em a hand coming in? You know, open the doors?" Omega fully understood the hidden meaning behind her words, and powered up his canon slightly. Aiming for the doors weakspot, he motioned for the girl to step back. She complied, and laughed gleefully.  
"Get reay for some fireworks, Hunters, 'cause that's what you'll be seeing!" the girl gloated, fairly bouncing in anticipation. She covered her face as Omega fired, exploding the doors out and flooding the area with smoke and debris. There were yells of surprise as the hunters were sent backwards, but the mavericks weren't expecting the shock to last.  
"Bring it on." a girls voice said out of the smog as Omega saw a short flash of red. Theta was zoning in on her target. The blackness hid the other larger form as he waited for a sign of X's position, canon charging and held at the ready. There would be nothing left of the hunters when he was through with them, he knew it.  
Nothing. 


	2. Recovery

A/N: Okay, so I lied. This chapter's still mine. I didn't want to overwhelm you on the first one. No change of author yet, probably till Chapter4. Same stuff goes here. We dont own Megaman X, or any of the characters from it. We do own our three OCs (one of which you haven'tmet yet.) Anyway, review it, and keep reading! It's lonely in my neck of the woods...

* * *

There was yelling. A lot of yelling. The Hunters were trying to communicate through the now settling dust.  
"Zero? Zero, are you okay? Where are you?" a voice cried out nearby in front of Omega. The maverick correctly assumed that it was X, and statred making his way towards him staying in shadows. Theta was already worrying Zero with light, quick blows from her blade, but not slowing enough to do any real damage for fear of recieving any. He couldn't block, though, for the speed and yelled for help.  
Before X could respond to the call, Omega decided to destract the small blue hunter to make it easier for Theta. He fired a low power blast over X's head to get his attention. It worked.  
"What the...!?" The blue reploid whirled to face the attacker and return fire. His uncharged blasts were reflected off the black opposing amour, doing no damage, except to the walls around them. "Zero! I found a big one!" he yelled, backing up and charging his trusty buster. Was there panic in his voice? Omega wasn't sure anyore, but he thought so...  
"I'm kind of... wrapped up at the moment! X!!" Zero sounded frantic, still unable to find his attacker still enough to attack. He as slowly moving his way outside into the clear air and sand, hopefully to dislodge her footing and/ or slow her down. Theta was having fun, and didn't really car where he went. She was sure she could handle it.  
X fired a blast Omega had no chance of evading, so he took it square int he chest. There was almost no damage done, but the force visibly shook the maverick. Omega quickly scanned for damage just in case, as he shot small, uncharged shots rapidly at X. A few more of those blasts would be able to weaken his aromour to point of damage. He'd better finish this before that could happen.  
Omega started powering up 'The End'. It was decently named- it could easily be the end of the Hunters' reign over the Earth. And, he thought, how suitably his name fit, and was used synonymically with the phrase. He would bring the end to the hunter threat, and start the creation of a worl just for reploids... machines, in any case.  
Omega shot the blast once it reached half power, aimed carefully at X to see how it would fare, and immediately started charging again. His eyes narrowed, as X almost easily dodged the blast, however closely. He'd obviously gotten speed improvements. A challenge, then, this was turning out to be. Omega smirked, saying he would rise to meet it.  
A change in the canon's setting let it gather power more quickly, and in relatively no time it was full power. In that tim, Omega had recieved another one of X's charged plasma blasts. A grimace worked to his face as he carefully aimed, then made a slight adjustment... As X went to dodge the powerful blast, he found himself jumping right into the line of fire. The rippling black blast sent the hunter into the wall, which crumbled on impact, burying the special hunter. Another half blast into the rubble seemed to reassure Omega that he wouldn't be getting back up.  
He had no time to investigate any further however, as his partner yelled out at that moment. He scowled, running to go assist at he fight tking place right outside what was left of the doors. Theta had been hit! If she'd been dismantled, or damaged to point of needing to be, Zero had something coming to him. Omega slowed, as he saw what was happening.  
Zero had backed off, probably to gloat, and left Theta cradling her free arm. She looked so fragile, compared to the bulkier male reploid. The red-orange, black, and white armoured Hunter stood with his sword out, glaring at Theta. To the girl's credit, he was battered, bruised, and nearly worn out. Too bad he was so determined, and powerful. A former maverick, he'd been... what had made him turn traitor?  
Something made Zero glance over his shoulder, and he caught a glance of Omega. It took a few seconds for him to realize that the maverick was alone. Zero's eyes flew open in shock, realizng what that meant."Where's X?" he yelled, stryggling to keep his calm. "What did you do to him!?" Anger and panic finally flushed out his supposedly normal calm.  
Theta used her partner's destraction to move into a position of advantage. Omega's prolonged silence only provoked Zero further. The Hunter's emotions were flooding free, making him an even easier target.  
"Damn it, won't you SAY something? You just... just took out the BEST DAMNED Maverick Hunter in the force, and you're not even PLEASED with that!?!" Omega stayed silent, without even moving a facial muscle. Zero howled with fury. "SAY SOMETHING!!!"  
Omega finally gave a miniscule nod to Theta. As she was about to launch her unknown attack on Zero, he did something neither of them were expecting, though they should have been. Zero charged Omega, faster than the maverick would have thought possible in his semi-weakened state. Omega, expecting to be slashed, blocked for that. Zero, instead, took a lucky shot. He brought the handle of his saber down on the back of Omega's neck. A lucky shot- his armours only weakpoint. The cyborg fell to his knees, pain actually disorienting him long enough for Zero to knock him out.  
"OMEGA!!!" the other maverick screamed. Her emoions flared up in such magnitude she had trouble sorting out the feelings whirring around inside her head.  
Zero turned to face her, raising his sword. After checking to make sure Omega wouldn't be getting back up, he charged back towrds Theta, yelling. Revenge was the only thing on his mind. They'd taken out his closest friend, the only one he would trust with his life. He had trusted with his life on many occasions... They would pay dearly for that.  
Even if he had to go down alongside with them.  
Theta responded quickly, having sorted the emotions down to immense anger. He'd just possibly killed her closest friend, her partner. She sent herself flying to meet the Hunter, raising her blade threateningly.  
"You're gonna DIE!" she screamed madly as they hurtled towards eacothr, each intending to do away with the other.  
  
A puff of dust blew up in the air as some of the wall settled, freeing X's head. The warmth on his head warmed the crystal, starting the signals moving again. He let out a yell as he restarted, without even knowing why. He opened his eyes, and slowly freed himself from the rubble. Standing unsteadily in the midst of destruction, he waited for his systems to reboot, trying to remember what had happened last.  
Before he'd finished recharging, he remembered. "Zero!" He gasped, taking off towards where he could see two shapes squaring off. X wasn't sure hwta had happened to that black monster, but if it wasn't after him anymore... "I have to warn Zero... Oh, hang on! I'm coming!"  
The going was slow, as he'd been damaged by the powerful blast, and he partially charged his buster. He needed to distract those two, before they destroyed eachother. He aimed right by where they were going to meet. Just near enough to distract them. Hopefully.  
X glance around nerously, panting heavily. He needed to find the maverick that had taken him down so easily... He stopped charging momentarily when he saw it. Laying sprawled, unconscious... Zero must have caught it off guard, or else found it's weakness.  
"Alright, time to end this. I don't want those two to be destroyed- they may hold valuable information, especially about Sigma's new plot." He started a low power balst instead, and aimed at the girl, his new target. Between his blast and Zero, they were bound to hit the girl.

* * *

A/N: I know X woudn't be taken down that easily, or tricked by that old trick, but as you see I needed to get him outa the way. Sorry, X fans. Things are heating up- stick with me for the next chapter! Zero's in for a bit of a shock! 


	3. Breakout

A/N: Okay, this is my last chapter, and it's a bit longer than the others. After this, there'll be three from Yuri, and THEN we'll start alternating each chapter. Sorry for any confusion. Everybody with us so far? Anybody had any complaints? Well, you might after this, there's a bit of jumpin' around. Stick through it? For Zero? For X? For me? OH! There's a reference to the end of X4, so if you haven't gotten to FinalWeapon stage yet, skip the first paragraph.

* * *

Zero got close enough to see Theta's eyes, before he veered off his attack. There was real emotion in her eyes. Not just hatred, or jealousy, or anger- the normal things he saw in mavericks- but pain. Real, deep, pain was showing there. Those eyes... they reminded him so much of Iris, before she'd died. When she'd attacked him, on behalf of her brother...  
Just as Zero dropped his sword and dodged away, there was a sound behind him. The sound of a blaster hitting armour, and dirt... Zero whirled in alarm, in time to see a blood-red blur fall to the ground. He jumped for his sword, and raised it in alarm, looking for the source of this attack, fully expecting a new maverick. He saw a small blue form, and quickly put his sword away rushing for it.  
"X! Y- You're okay!" Zero yelled; almost happy, definitely relieved. The weak blue form nodded, stumbling slowly, unevenly, towards his closest friend. Limping badly, and cradling his blaster arm, he smiled. Zero was okay. His eyes closed and he collapsed with a sigh, only to be caught up in a swirl of blonde hair as Zero rushed to catch him.  
"Don't kill them- they may have answers." X whispered, before falling to backup systems. Zero nodded in agreement. He'd changed his mind about the 'mavericks'. Maybe they could be reformed, as he had... It was worth a shot. Well worth the shot- and definitely worth the risk, if they could get that power and speed on their side. And having new information to go with it? That was a bonus.

* * *

"Sigma, sir, they've been defeated. They were taken by the hunters. The plan has failed."  
"No, you idiot, it's not failed!! It is merely beginning..." A crackling voice came through the link in a maverick's helmet. "Do not lose faith in me, Yul. I have my ways."  
Yul bowed his head submissively out of instinct. "Yes sir. I meant no disrespect. How may I help the plan along, then?" He stood from his hidden crouch, and walked to where the doors had been. There was no immediate answer, so Yul took the chance to assess the damage done to the base's entrance. Not as much as he'd expected, but still enough to keep the lowlies busy for days.  
The dark purple and black armour on his mechanical body seemed to repel the dust that was blowing in the evening breeze. Second in Command at the base, he had already ordered his men to end evacuation and the reconstuction had begum. He only hoped they would finish before the Hunters sent another team to investigate, or worse a whole unit.  
The helmet link buzzed back on, and Yul snapped to attention. "You will not interfere with the happenings as of yet. Just keep watch on the two of them, and keep me posted on their... progression in the force. Surely YOU can handle that."  
Before Yul could further inquire or object, the link shut off with a certain finality to it. Yul sighed in defeat. So he was being sent on an almost useless mission... but his orders were from the head of everything he worked for. They came directly from his idol- his hero. He wouldn't dream of denying them.  
A deep, rich voice yelled last minute instructions to the men, and Yul ran swiftly and silently off towards the Hunters' main base, where hey would most likely be taken to be examined, interrogated, and 'controlled'. Yul would be most surprised if even the strongest would be able to control the maverick power house, or the fastest to track their red demon.  
But hunters did have a way of surprising even Master Sigma...

* * *

There had been debate upon the mavericks arrival as to where in the base they should be contained in. They were both injured and needed to be investigated, but they were too strong to be left unguarded in the lesser security areas. There was more call to send them to the repair/investigation ward, but X was at severe unease with that idea. He didn't want to risk those two running unchecked around the base.  
"You saw what he did to me and my armour- and the wall, and the door at their base! Can you imagine that around here on an upscale? There's not much inner protection- defenses are centered around the outside of the base." X worried to Zero after being repaired. Zero cut him off before he could continue, waving his hand dismissively.  
"Don't worry so much. We can order the strongest men we have to guard the doors at all times. They'll be sure to call us if anything- ANYthing- arises to be out of order. That is, of course, unless you'd rather be on guard duty." Zero teased. Neither of them particularly enjoyed low jobs like that- though they did tend to keep the duo out of deeper trouble. For the most part.  
X sighed and shot a glare at the drigged up mavericks- now known as cyborgs to the Hunters, not reploids as first believed. He still didn't trust them, but if Zero wasn't worried... "Alright. But I'm to be notified the moment- _immediately_- when the first one wakes. No exceptions."  
Zero grinned and slapped his friend. That should work out fine. He wasn't expecting any trouble to rise up again- they were on home turf, now. Even if the mavericks woke up, it would be easier to handle them. They had backup, and they were ready. It was perfectly safe- he was in control now.  
The two of them ambled of to report to Signas. It wasn't just orders, it was custom now. They always went to talk to Signas after a mission. They had to tell him, Alia, and Douglas all they'd seen and noticed about the base, the maverick duo, the trip to the base... basically anything they'd learned on the trip. That, and they wanted to convince the leader to allow a reformation attempt on the two. Zero knew what he'd seen in the girl's eyes, even if he couldn't explain it. And X had felt something strange about her as well. He wanted to get closer to her.  
They left the 'doctors' in charge of the mavericks, with six guards total. As zero had said, they were the strongest the base had to offer, but not necessarily the best... It was decided that the two would be seperated into rooms at opposite ends of the corridor, with three guards in front of each. Even so, they were all nervous. Even if the two were apart, they could still cause damage. And none of the investigators wanted to be in the scrapyard.  
Two seperate teams set to work detatching the weapons and armour from the cyborgs, making it safer, in their minds. They were surprised hwo little of it was actually wired in to interface with the inner systems. It was simple taking it off.  
After everything was removed and stowed safely away for further investigation by the head mechanic, Douglas, the two teams converged to investigate the smaller of the two evils. However, before anyone could have imagined, one of the arrival's eyes snapped open. No wires had been attached to him yet, as the investigation was on his partner.  
Omega was quickly on his feet, though he staggered a few moments, as his systems filtered out the last of the drugs. His creators had thought the human parts would still be susceptible to drugs, so both of the cyborgs' systems had been modified to quickly filter out any unknown substance from the body.  
Omega blinked a few times, taking in the small, almost empty room around him. The surroundings were unfamiliar, and he could hear strng voies coming from outside what seemed to be a door. He cleched his fists, readying to fight, and realized upon trying a system check that he had been disarmed. He was without his armour, or weapon. It felt strange, not being burdened by all the extra weight- he felt stronger, more agile.  
More out of place than that, though, was the fact that he had no clue where his partner was. Her absence made him feel weak against sudden attacks. His first concern would be to locate her, and make certain she was okay. Then, with or without their armour, they would find their way back to their home base and report to Sigma what they would learn about this one on their way out.  
After assuring himself that he was undamaged, Omega walked tot he door. It appeared to be locked- from the outside. A slight nudge proved this assessment correct. Without a second thought, he put some force into his shoulder, and rammed the door outwards. It was no longer locked, or even closed for that matter.  
The guards outside were startled to attention. Two lunged immediately to try to repress the maverick, while the third reached for the intercom on the wall behind him. He notified the base of the maverick's awakening, and turned in time to see his two buddies knocked out by solid faceplants into eachother. Omega looked up at him, and he quickly dropped his weapon and ran.  
The maverick stood there, unsure of what to do then. His pale white hair fell to his shoulders, unrestrained by his helmet, and his pale skin was now visible. Light creamy eyes darted down each direction he could go. The hall to his right, his left, or in front? After stooping to pick up two of the dropped weapons, he looked down to his left. That was the direction the guard had run... Maybe he should follow? It would be better than waiting for security to show up.  
Luckily for him, he didn't have to make another decision. A shrill shriek echoed down the hall from his right. The voice was familiar- it was Theta, of that he was certain. What wer they doing to her? He set off at a run, clutching the two handles tightly. He would have to learn how to use a sword, and quickly. Theta could use the other one.  
  
The four reploid 'doctors' in the room were against the wall, scared to move. They had just been plugging in the wires, when the girl's eyes had snapped open, and she'd sat up. Theta had realized immediately she was without her armour, and directly after that she'd realized all her attendants wree male. THAT was what the shriek had been about.  
She jumped to her feet, and what wires were attatched quickly became loose. The reploids shuddered in turn as her gaze went over each of them slowly. After it had passed the one nearest the door, he had reached out to try and hit the intercom button. In the moment he took his eyes off the maverick to do so, all chaos broke loose. His finger hit the button just as Theta darted and attacked him, knocking his head against the wall rendering him senseless. The other three screamed and bolted for the door, just as it was knocked inwards by Omega's charge.  
They screamed again and ran behind him out the door as his glance darted over the girl, making sure she was fine. She recognized the look in his eyes, and assured him she was. He nodded, and threw her one of the 'sheathed' swords. Her face split into a wild grin, and she thanked him for it. He nodded, and motioned her out the door.  
Above the screams still echoeing down the hall, they could hear the base alarms going off finally, and calls for all hands to the area. X was already tearing down a corridor on his way there, heading his unit to the attack. Zero was coming from the opposite direction, atthe same speed, heading his own unit. They were hoping to corner the mavericks, and force them into submission with numbers. Another hope was to restrict the damage to as small an area as possible.  
When the hunters met the mavericks tearing down the hall, it was obvious the duo had different plans. Omega didn't even wait to see if they had anything to say, he just swung a fist immediately towards the nearest hunter, who happened to be Zero. Noting this, the maverick tried even harder to put all he had into it. Zero manage to dodge in time for it to only graze his shoulder, but the force spun him around, giving Omega way right to the other Hunters. He let fly another punch, right into the crowd of less experienced, slower reploids. A bunch of them went down at once.  
Omega decided this was a good enough approach, and dropped the sword. It was affecting his fist. Omega glared at them, and a lot of the weaker Hunters looked at each other and went scrambling. Theta laughed maniacally and took the chance to get out into the crowd and cause mayhem.  
"Restrain them! Quickly!" X yelled, his unit joining the fray. "Avoid killing them! We haven't learned anything yet!"  
One of the reploids who'd been knocked to the wall by the red blur yelled out in protest. "Why don't you find a way to keep THEM from killing US!!!" More voices piped up, some supporting the leaders, others with the lower Hunter. Amidst the small arguments starting up, the more dedicated hunters began scrambling about trying to catch Theta. Others were swarming on the towering Omega, effectively slowing him, but not very much damaging and nowhere near fully restraining him.  
Theta let out a burst of gleeful laughter as every attempt to capture her failed or backfired. Omega, on the other hand, had to stop to attempt to unburden himself from the hunters. Now they were getting annoying, and becoming a major hindrance. Things seemed to be just about even, as one of the hunters grabbed Omega around the neck and yanked. IF they were to bring a well aimed elbow down, he'd would fall like a chopped log. 


	4. FaceOff

A/N: Sorry bout the wait- it's been a long while, I know.  We had a glitch (namely, i lost this chapter somewhere in the network and had to re-write it).  The next three are done and waiting for a review, and the next after that is in the process.  Any reviewers still out there, know this: We love you!     FFoB, giving you Yuri's chapter, and hoping for reviews.

* * *

Theta grinned at her brother, more than slightly amused at his 'problem'. Zipping between various reploids, she made her way over to him and shoved a guard off of him. The poor hunter hit the wall with a thud that made her wince.

"Oops."

"RESTRAIN THEM, ALREADY!!!" Zero bellowed, being unable to reach where the mavericks were making fools of his and X's units. Mingled shouts of frustration and desperation answered him.

"This is a disaster..." X muttered from across the room, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"X, this isn't working!" Zero yelled across the disorder.

"I've noticed that!" X exclaimed frustratedly. "But how are we supposed the restrain them without injury if they can shake us off so easily?" he vented, making his way across to the red armoured Hunter.

"Maybe it's injury to our troops we should worry about, not the mavericks." Zero gritted his teeth, handling the hilt of his saber longingly.

"But we haven't learned anything from them yet. If they're injured or killed..." As X trailed off, Omega threw the last of the cling-on's to the floor. X grimaced. "Then again..." He took a deep breath and adjusted his X-Buster. "Hunters! Retreat!" he called in a clear, ringing voice. The reploids wasted no time in getting away from the mavericks. The two unit leaders made their way towards them, weapons ready.

Omega and Theta exchanged glances and Theta shrugged. Omega gave his partner the slightest of nods, and the girl grinned, then turned to face the Hunters.

"If we're going to fight again, I'd like to get my armor." Her face soured. "Which your idiot 'doctors' took off _without my permission_."

"They had to in order to treat you." X explained, managing to remain calm as though this situation was normal.

"There was no damage to my midsection! They could have left that on at least..." Theta grumbled, folding her arms protectively across her chest. Even though the situation wasn't at all amusing, the female's actions struck Zero as funny and he chuckled. Theta heard it and bristled, but Omega put a hand on her shoulder. When she glanced up inquiringly, he shook his head and she settled down.

"We don't want to fight you if we can avoid it." X replied steadily, giving both sets or red outfitting a stern look. "And if it makes you feel better you can have your torso armour back."

"But...?" Theta was obviously suspicious of this.

"But," X continued with a nod, "Neither of you will be granted access to your weapons, or full armour."

Omega only frowned, but Theta voiced their collective opinion- loudly. "Are you hunters crazy?!"

"Not last we checked..." Zero muttered, ducking his head. X shot him a dirty look.

"We want all our armour and our weapons back!" Theta seethed. "What right do you have to keep us here anyway?"

"Every right." Zero countered. "You're mavericks, and were defeated in combat. X decided you should be brought back, and it was a good idea seeing as how you turned out to be cyborgs."

"I don't care. We're leaving." Theta shrugged, turning on her heel.

"No you aren't." Zero replied, twirling his blade. "You're staying here whether you like it or not." Theta turned back towards the two.

"We _won't_ be some lab rats anymore. I'd like to see you stop us!" She challenged heatedly.

"Without your armour, you don't stand a chance." Zero pointed out.

Theta smirked. "I don't need my armour to run, Hunter. I could outrun any of you- in my sleep." She shot.

"Maybe you can- but he can't." X interrupted, motioning to Omega, and playing on what seemed to be a strong bond between the two. "Would you leave your partner behind?"

"In a heartbeat, to save my own hide!" Theta shot back, reciting what she'd been instructed to since forever. But the hunters saw through the statement as if it were glass. She was lying.

"No you wouldn't." X replied, shaking his head. "But there's no way to get out without leaving him behind. Besides, we both know you're still not fully operational, and may not be able to outrun Zero."

Theta stiffened, panic flooding briefly into her reddish eyes. To run, or not to run... If she ran, she'd leave Omega behind, and they were right- she might not be able to get away.

As X and Zero watched her weigh her options, Omega leaned down and murmurred somehting in her ear. Theta's eyes widened and she nodded, before turning back to the two hunters.

"Fine, whatever. But if those damned doctors do anything_ I don't like, _you'll be putting up 'Help Wanted' posters. Got it?"

"All right. Deal."

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A/N:   There you have it- our chapter.  Now look down and to the left of the screen.  See the little button that says 'Go'?  Click it, and say something.  The sooner you do, the sooner you get more.  And if you leave a flame, the sooner somebody gets burned. 


	5. They're Still Mavericks

A/N: Hey everyone! Me (Yuri) again! Just two more chapters until the end of author confusion! Then we promise we'll be regular with the chapters!

Warnings: Mild language. Violence

Shoutouts: Evwyone!!! We wuv you!!

Disclaimer: Don't own Megaman, but DO own plot, Theta, Omega, and Yul.

R&R plz. We love reviews and constructive criticism would be helpful. But like I've said, flames will be laughed at or used to burn anyone we see fit.

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"I don't like this," Zero said later as he paced in front of a seated X in a lounge room. "We shouldn't be putting this much trust in those two Mavericks. They're dangerous, but we only have skeleton guard in their sector!"

X laughed. "Now who's worrying too much?" Then he sobered. "But I see your point. They _are_ Mavericks and as such should be kept on lock and key, not allowed to roam a small portion of the hall between their rooms. And they could cause a lot of damage to the base even in their small sector."

"Exactly." Zero agreed. "And who's to say that they won't run off first chance they get? We can't keep them locked up forever and they know it. Even the few humans that work around here are nervous and jumpy and we made sure we moved them to the opposite side of the base!"

"I don't know... As long as we keep careful watch over the big Maverick, we shouldn't have a problem. He can't run if we watch him and she won't run without him. Not to mention that, without armor, they're both incredibly susceptible to attack. In a fight, they'd almost certainly lose."

"Are you sure? What about the red one? She could dodge our attacks with some difficulty, but not much, once she's fully healed." It was her that Zero trusted the least of all. He had a sneaking suspicion that she was planning something. X shrugged, leaning back in the chair.

"I have the feeling that even if she were given free reign- which she won't be-, she wouldn't be a problem we couldn't handle. Not with her partner being unable to get away as well." Zero collapsed into another chair, belatedly realizing that he still hadn't gotten a chance to rest.

"What makes you so sure? I can't help but think we're setting ourselves up for disaster..." His voice was weary.

"I'm not sure..." X's reply was thoughtful as he glanced out the window to where rainclouds were starting to gather ominously. "I guess even Mavericks have their loyalties to others."

Zero snorted. "Not likely. I'll bet it's a trick." X shook his head and Zero saw that his friend was just as tired as he was.

"I don't think so, Zero. You remember that look in her eyes when I asked her if she'd leave without him. I don't know why, but I sense that she'll behave since her partner is stuck here. They may be planning something, they may not, but they're not going to tell us either way. So there's no real use worrying over something that may never happen. We'll just keep our eyes and ears open and trust that the Mavericks don't do anything stupid." Zero scowled.

"Trust. Huh. You can't trust a Maverick..." X gave Zero a level stare at this remark and the red Hunter realized what it meant. "I reformed, X; I'm not a Maverick anymore."

"Then why not give your idea a shot and see those two can be reformed?" X inquired gently as he rested his chin in one hand.

"Signas _did_ O.K it... reluctantly... But what if they can't be reformed? The big one will probably ignore us and the red one would resist any attempt at changing her mind. Violently, even, if she thought she might have even the slimmest chance at winning." X chuckled again, but it was humorless.

"True, true," he conceded, "but it's possibly worth it. If you like, I'll take on the girl so you two aren't ready to kill one another." Zero smiled ruefully.

"Heh, like we aren't already. Thanks, though. The big one will probably be easier for me to handle. Think you'll be able to handle his partner? She's fast and, if our fight was any indication, not exactly stupid either." X quirked an eyebrow.

"I'll be fine," he assured his friend. "It won't be the first time I've had to deal with stubborn attitudes and it'll liven up my day. What do you say we go check on them?" Zero gave him a look that clearly conveyed his opinion of this, but he just nodded and followed the blue Hunter from the lounge.

Meanwhile, a purple-armored Maverick stood just outside the outer confines of the Hunter base where the cameras couldn't see him. _Sigma seems to have a large amount of faith in those two newbies and their current 'failed' situation,_ he reflected thoughtfully. Then he smirked. _But I've heard of tougher Mavericks being reformed and converted by those Hunters. Including one red former Maverick in particular... Let's see how long those two hold out. It could be... interesting..._

With that, Yul wandered off to find a more comfortable and slightly more permanent place to stay while he watched the series of unfolding events.

"Oh god..." Zero muttered in shock as X slapped his forehead. In front of them was an strangely hilarious and yet completely unfunny situation. The two Hunters didn't know whether to laugh or be angry. Theta and Omega were back-to-back against a group of guards just outside the room that'd been assigned to Omega. A couple of the guards were already down on the floor.

"Stop!" X commanded just as the guards rushed the two cornered Mavericks. Everyone froze and looked over at the two Hunters. Theta looked supremely irritated and Omega wore his 'normal' expression. But even he looked slightly disgruntled when his eyes fell on X and Zero. "What's going on here?" X demanded crossly. He'd given specific orders for the two Mavericks to be left mostly alone.

"The red Maverick, sir, she-" The nervous guard-Hunter was interrupted by an indignant poke to the midsection.

"Hey," Theta grumbled. "I have a name, y'know." She was eyed warily by all the others in the room before the guard-Hunter continued.

"She insisted that she be allowed in to see the big Maverick and we thought that the orders were to keep them apart." The guard edged a bit away from Theta and Omega. "So we tried to keep them apart, but the red Maverick-"

"I have a name! Use it!"

"-wouldn't have it and she forced her way through." X and Zero swapped glances and Zero sighed.

"Well, seeing as how it's apparently impossible to keep them apart, those orders can be forgotten. Just leave them alone unless they're doing something wrong..." Zero exasperatedly directled. X nodded in approval and turned to the two cyborgs, who were watching the proceedings quietly.

"Will you two please come with us?" Theta and Omega hesitated, then accompanied the Hunters from the hall into the lounge room that X and Zero had just left. Zero noted with slight interest that the girl stuck close to her partner and actually walked slightly behind him. Obviously he was her support and she relied on him. And Omega's eyes occasionally darted back to look at her, like he wanted to make sure she was still there. Zero shook his head slightly. Those two were seeming less and less like what he usually encountered as being Mavericks and more like normal people. But there was no hiding the girl's hostile air and the boy's guarded one. They were Mavericks, whether they seemed it or not, Zero reminded himself. They were Mavericks.


	6. The Red She Demon

A/N: I'm baaaa-aaaack!!! Last chapter before Sis and I are regular with the chapters!

Warnings: Mild language. Violence

Shoutouts: All you peoples!!!! 'Specially the ones that've been with us from chapter one.

Disclaimer: Let's see... Hm... We own the plot, Theta, Omega, and Yul, but everything else belongs to other people.

R&R plz. Reviews are great, constructive criticism is welcomed due to helpfulness, but flames will be used to liven up our dull little lives. We need something to have a good laugh at. Or to burn people with...

Oh! And the first person who can correctly identify the hair and eye colors of both Omega and Theta wins a plushie of their favorite Megaman char! (you'll have to tell me which is you fav, tho) I just wanna see how many of you are paying attention.

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"Do you two _have_ to cause trouble?" X inquired once the four had reached the blessfully empty room. Zero locked it behind them to take away any chance of interruption while they talked. Omega had situated himself leaning against a wall and Theta was standing beside him. Likewise, X and Zero stood opposite them with Zero leaning on a table and X next to him.

"Do your guards have to be such idiots?" Theta shot back, crossing her arms angrily. "Of course we're going to cause trouble! We don't want to be here any more than you want us here." X and Zero decided to ignore that remark. X actually did want them there. Zero wanted them there only because they were still alive and he didn't want them going back to wherever they'd come from.

"It's not like you've anywhere to go." X pointed out. "You failed Sigma, so he'll proabably kill you on sight. " Zero had to agree with that. From what he knew of Sigma, he wasn't exactly generous.

"So you two have it pretty good here for two Mavericks," Zero picked up from where X left off. "None of us will kill you on sight and most of us are willing to give second chances." Omega frowned and Theta's eyes narrowed.

"What are you getting at?" Theta asked cautiously. Zero thought off-handedly about how she and her partner were like a pair of wolves, circling the various topics and offers warily and deciding whether or not to take what was held out to them.

"If you're willing to go under a bit of reformation, then you two can be Maverick Hunters. With necessary adjustments to your armor, of course." X supplied. Omega and Theta's reactions were anything but glad or thankful.

"Are you out of your _mind_?!" Theta demanded furiously as Omega scowled slightly. "You're asking us to betray our leader? No way!"

_And the wolves have decided to attack..._ "Look," Zero straightened and took a step towards Theta, but Omega held out a hand to keep him from going any further. "Look, Sigma won't give a thought about you! At least here you don't have to worry about whether someone will kill you or not!" That's when Zero and X saw the snarl on Theta's face. Omega didn't looked thrilled either.

"You would know, wouldn't you?" Theta forced through gritted teeth as she clenched her hands into fists. "You used to be one of us! A Maverick! But no, you had to desert your brothers and sisters and become a _Hunter_! Traitor!"

"Take that back!" Before he knew what he was doing, Zero had passed a startled Omega and pinned Theta against the wall. "Take it back!" A malicious grin crossed the girl's face, darkening her eyes to an eerie blood-like color. Zero felt that cold shiver again at the half-crazed look in her eyes.

"Did I strike a chord that the poor Hunter doesn't like? Heh, figures. You don't want to be reminded of your failure! Poor baby traitor." If anyone had any doubts about Theta being a Maverick, they'd have vanished at her expression.

"I'm not a traitor!" Zero shouted. That maddening smirk on her face twisted into a furious scowl and Zero realized that he was up against someone who could match him. If not in physical strength, then in pure strength of anger. There was only one person he could recall who'd ever been able to match him like that. Iris... He shook himself out of it as Theta opened her mouth to speak.

"Yeah you are! You sold out to the hunters like a sniveling weasel!" Theta fired back. "Well, _we're_ not going to repeat your mistake and betray Sigma so we can join a pushover group like the Maverick Hunters!"

At this, Zero and X- who'd been trying to break up the fight without any success- froze in shock.

"_That_ was going too far." Zero pulled his arm back, only to have a large hand close around his elbow and jerk him forcefully away from Theta. She, however, looked as if she'd been fully prepared to take the blow that Zero had intended for her. Omega picked up Zero effortlessly and set him down a couple feet away. Just enough for Omega to position himself between Zero and Theta. The meaning was clear and, angry as he was, Zero wasn't keen on fighting the towering Maverick.

Instead, Zero whirled about and stormed from the room, only stopping to fumble the lock open on the door. X looked uneasily between the two cyborgs and Zero, and chose to follow the fuming red Hunter. Theta and Omega watched them leave and Omega turned to his partner.

"No, I'm fine." She replied to his silent question. Sitting heavily in a chair, she looked out the window and played absent-mindedly with her long silvery hair. "You didn't have to interfere. I could have taken him..." But they both knew very well that Zero was far stronger than Theta normally and that he was even more so with her injured. Omega sat on another chair and regarded her calmly.

"Baiting him like that was not needed." Omega's baritone voice was quiet. "Even if he was asking us the impossible, he and his partner have direct bearing over our lives at the moment."

"They're pushovers, the lot of them." Theta grumbled. Then she shook her head. "I s'pose you're right. I may not like it, but we're _stuck_ here until further notice." Suddenly her voice was nearly a whisper and the first signs of desparation snuck into it. "Which'll probably never come... That Hunter was right. We failed Sigma and he's probably after our blood right now."

Omega's nod was slow and thoughtful. "But perhaps we can maintain our current allegiance to Sigma and make the most of our current problem at the same time?"

"Hm..." Theta watched as the first pioneering raindrops of a storm started falling outside the window. "Can we indeed... Well, why not?" Omega gave her an inquiring glance. "I think we should play along with the Hunters' little game." The grin from before flashed in her tell-tale eyes. "It could be amusing, eh? Whaddaya say, Omega?"

"I say..." He pondered this and then let nodded with the barest traces of a smile's cousin on his lips. "I say go for it."

"I say we jettison them both!" Zero raged. "That red Maverick is a damned she-demon! And the big one could tear apart half a unit _without_ his armor or weapons! They're too dangerous to keep here! We have to get rid of them before they cause any damage. Especially that girl!"

"We don't have to worry about Omega..." X murmured, thinking to himself. "He only acts when she's threatened or gotten herself in over her head- like earlier. As for Theta... I think she's more frightened than actually angry." Zero turned to stare at him incredulously.

_"Whaaat??"_

"Think about it Zero," X continued. "Neither of them are very old and we haven't heard much about them before just recently. I'll bet you anything that they haven't been on Sigma's force long and that our fight was their test. And they-"

"Flunked. Yeah... I hear you." Zero's rage cooled and now he was just as thoughtful as X. "And with how strongly they're holding their ties to Sigma, they must be newbies because any seasoned Maverick knows that failure is death where Sigma's concerned. So what do we do? That red Maverick-"

"Her name is Theta." X interrupted, then shook his head dismissively. "Never mind. Go on." Zero gave him a weird look before continuing.

"The red Maverick- Theta- is a menace. She's the one I trust least of all. She's got a temper like dried grass and everything is a potential spark. Not to mention she's got a partner who's an enigma to end all enigmas..."

"Yeah..." X watched the rain fall outside and soak the grounds. There'd be puddles to deal with the next day... "Who knows what he's thinking..."

"The girl does, I bet. I bet she reads him like an open book and can tell pretty much his every thought just by looking at him." Zero replied, flopping onto a couch. "At least we can read her. Her eyes tell every emotion that she feels without holding anything back."

X chuckled. "Exactly. Even if she's the she-demon you say she is, she can't hide everything the way her partner can." Zero frowned and X noticed. "What is it? Still having misgivings?"

"Yeah... I still don't think they should have as much freedom as they do. They'll turn on us in a split second." X shrugged.

"Maybe, maybe not."


	7. All Too Watchful Eyes

A/N:Almost ready to get into the schedule!!! Thanx for sticking with us (if you have... I'm cursing any and all who read and reviewed once and stopped. Or just haven't reviewed... Be forewarned! )

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It had taken a few days for the hunters, especially Zero, to cool off enough to commence training. Not that the newcomers minded- it gave them time to thoroughly familiarize themselves with the base.Although they DID have to do so under ever close, ever watchful eyes. 

They were allowed, now, almost anywhere a low class or new Hunter would be. As price for their 'freedom', they had little or no armour, no weapons, and about three guards on their backs at all times. Sometimes X was one of the flankers, but more often than not it was left to random trustworthy Hunters recently back from missions.

The suspicion and constant feeling of eyes boring into the back of his neck started to really annoy Omega as they neared the back entrance of the base. He set his jay and let his eyes droop to half-lids to hide any traitorous emotion that may show through, though there would be only a vague visible change.

"So it's getting to you, too, huh?" Theta asked, smirking up at the pale toned man beside her. The response, in the form of a slight glare, affirmed the girl's question. She nodded her head back at the three goonies trailing them. "Why don't you, you know... _do_ something? Take care of 'em?"

Her voice was now a whisper, but Omega had no problem hearing her. He'd been thinking similarly, and began to let his head nod in rhythm with his steps. Just how to get them to back off without raising an alert, or damaging them? He could think of one way, but severely doubted his partner would approve of it. He didn't want her all over him, anyway...

Maybe he could intimidate them off, or lull them into a false sense of security. They seemed more lax than any of the other trios had been. It was worth a shot, he figured. He put a hand on Theta's shoulder, looked into her eyes, and nodded. She had no clue what he'd do, but she'd go along with it and it would definitely be worth watching.

Omega turned and leaned his weight against the wall, and Theta mirrored him on the opposite side. Letting his chin sag down to his chest, Omega eyed the hunters wearily through slitted eyes. Theta let her head fall against the wall behind her and closed her eyes. She knew now what he was up to, and nothing interesting would happen for a while. She would want to see the poor guys' faces after a couple minutes, though. They'd be so jumpy, not trusting the two any further than they could throw them. In armour. With weights anchored to their arms and legs.

Crossing his arms, Omega pondered where to go from there. If he threatened them, the alarm would raise. Theta would get bored and fidgety in the time it took to silence them to unrest. They were too new for them to pull the 'I'm trustworthy, I'm broken' spiel. Especially after the fights they'd had upon arriving. But the three guards must have been from a hard mission- they were fidgeting already, to Omega's immense surprise. A smirk almost crossed his face, realizing the easiest way to go.

"So." Omega's voice startled all four people around him. The single word had been phrased carefully, somewhere between a question and leading into a phrase. His eyes opened in all their stoic, pale glory. The cold, emotionless stare that rested on each hunter in turn every few minutes seemed, to the Hunters, to be soul baring.

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A/N: I have more, I just need to type it!!! But I'm not the fastest keyboardist in the world, so... Could be a while. But I'll try to have at least a chappie ready by the time I get a review!!!! 


	8. Unexpected Visit

The silence after Omega's one word seemed to stretch, and fill the corridor.

"So… what?" the youngest hunter finally asked, visibly shivering at merely speaking to the mavericks. Having broken the silence, both cyborgs' eyes snapped to the poor soul and stayed there with such intensity he wanted to cover himself and run away.

It didn't take long for the others to catch his uneasiness. They began shooting each other nervous looks. Once they were sufficiently jittery Omega slid his weight off the wall and rose to his full, towering height, never removing his intimidating glare from the hunters below.

There was a sudden loud crash from behind them, startling Omega enough to avert his gaze to look and drop into a defensive position. There was something, deep purple, which shoved past the weaponless duo and proceeded to incapacitate the stunned Hunters before any could react. They realized it was a reploid of some sort, most likely maverick, but it was moving too fast for Omega to focus properly. Not as fast as Theta, but he had never been able to watch her, either.

Before anyone could realize it, the hunters were down and it stopped directly behind him. He didn't turn around, and was shocked into being unable to by an unexpected sound.

"Come outside. Find me. Get your oerders. Do _not_ keep me waiting."

The deep voice- and its owner- were gone before Omega gained enough sense to whirl to face the stranger. His eyes whipped to his partner, who nodded.

"I'm on it." With that she tore out the opening from the door being knocked in, and raced after the mysterious newcomer. Omega nodded apologetically at the fallen guards, and followed in her path, hoping not to get lost in the unfamiliar environment.

Yul had been unable to resist getting the two out of there. He may have been told not to interfere, but he had to be sure that they wouldn't screw everything up. Right after he'd left he was aware of the Theta coming after him, and took to the trees. How good were they at search and find? He settled into a branch and stilled his systems to find out.

Theta came to a stop almost directly beneath him and scanned the area. She was certain he had come this direction, but there was no sign, no clues as to where he was. She reached automatically for the sword she no longer had, and flexed impulsively. She nearly cursed, irritated, and decided on another tactic.

"I know youre out there! I want to hear what you have to say!" She yelled. Her voice carried surprisingly well through the forest. She kept yelling, even as Yul didn't react. Omega reached her just as she started screaming, nearly throwing her arms around in frustration. He put his hand on her shoulder and she froze, calming almost instantly.

"He's here, somewhere. I can _feel_ it. I don't get why he called us out here, and then wont show up to explain why. I know he can hear me. Why he's not responding I don't know." Her eyes raised, and she glared nearly where the high level Maverick hunched in the leaves.

Omega nodded slowly, understanding her emotions without feeling them. He let his gaze roam and wondered at the disappearing act that had been played upon them. He couldn't shake the feeling that he knew the Maverick- the voice had definitely been familiar. He slowly fixed his eyes, following Theta's gaze.

Yul nearly cringed uneasily. The two pairs of eyes were almost boring directly into his own. But he was certain they didn't know he was there. Or did they? Perhaps they were more skilled than they appeared… He wasn't sure. But he decided it was time to come on down.

Omega removed his hand from his partners shoulder and they both glamced back towards the way they'd come. Yul took the chance to drop almost soundlessly to the forest floor. Not soundlessly enough- the pair whipped around to face the "intruder" and dropped into defense. They were both painfully aware of their unequipped state.

Yul's only reaction was a slight smirk. "A bit shabby on the attack… but very nice reactions. You'll move up quickly through the forces."

Omega's emotionless eyes bored into the deep purple of Yul's. His arm clenched, ready to swing out at a minute sign of aggression.

"What do you mean?" Theta asked. "And why did you bust us out of there?"

Yul's smirk stayed in place. "Only to test your capabilities. And, as I said, to give you your orders." He let his deep voice drawl, trying to let his ease put the other two at Unease. Omega didn't falter. He merely narrowed his creamy eyes and settled into a conscious state of where he was. His distrust and willingness to be aggressive must have shown.

Yul raised an eyebrow at the larger form and pulled out what looked like the hilt of a new model laser sword. "Come now!" he taunted. "There's no need to fight." He toyed with the unactivated handle. "I'm quite sure I could handle you two. What, with you in your… condition. Besides, I wouldn't be at Sigma's right hand if I couldn't, now would I?"

That was a lie, admittedly. He wasn't quite that high, that close to their respected leader… But he was close. And he had the ambition- he was going to be. He was slightly nervous in the presence of these two monsters. He hoped his bluff would hold, and make them easier to handle. He was, after all, a maverick. He survived by bluffing.

Theta turned her head slightly and shifted. She was anxious, and waiting for a sign of what to do from Omega. He gave none, not a hint. Apparently, they would be listening to this Maverick, hearing him out.

"So spill. What're we supposed to do?" She snapped, not quite trusting this messenger from Sigma. Yul cracked his knuckles as his face bled dry of emotion.

"You, Theta and Omega of the maverick forces, are hereby ordered to go along with the Hunters' schemes. Seem trustworthy. If it means disposing of those lesser in our own ranks, do not hesitate. Advance yourselves within the Hunter ranks as far as you can. If possible, immerse yourselves in an area of importance."

A malicious gleam appeared in his eyes. "And then…" He snapped his arm out to the side and there was a flash of glaring purple and the crackle of energy as a whip formed and wrapped around a large tree. "Bring-" He pulled. "Them-" the wood groaned. "Down." The tree snapped where the whip had been and the tree crumpled to the ground with a smash. The energy dissipated and Yul reaffixed the handle to his armour.

Theta had been watching the whip with interest, and moved her gaze to his when it was put away. The pure insanity there in his face, the anger, hate, and glee at destruction almost unnerved her. Omega was observing him with interest, believing that he was indeed what he said he was. An envoy from the Maverick head forces.

"It's up to you for now. Our forces are reconstructing as we speak, but we are unable to withstand another barrage from them. So go. And do not disappoint us."

There was a yell from behind them- a hunter on the search. The pair turned in surprise. When they glanced back, their visitor had disappeared without a trace.

"We don't even know his name." Theta hissed before the hunter squadron bore down on them.

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**A.N.:** Sorry for the break, if there's anyone still reading this... has a lot of stuff happened and I lost the manuscript for a while. Still another chapter or two before I have to start writing again... may wind up taking it over myself without my sis' help tho... Still, thats not for a while yet. R&R...? Please...? 


	9. Playing'

"I can NOT believe you did that! You're lucky we trusted you as much as we did. What were you thinking, attacking your guards?!"

Theta and Omega exchanged looks as Zero ranted furiously at them. X was standing off to the side glaring with a frown on his face. Zero had been on in this vein without pausing for breath for a good 15 minutes. One of the downsides of dealing with reploids, the two were finding out. Theta finally got sick of it.

"Shut up." She shot irritably. Zero froze mid-word and turned an incredulous glare at her. "We didn't attack them."

X frowned more deeply and turned to the computer interface on the wall, activation it. Zero threw his hands up in frustration.

"Then who did?"

"How should we know? It's not like we sat down for tea! We never got a good look at whatever it was- much less get their name." Theta grumbled bitterly. "So stop pinning it on us." She settled backwards against Omega and glowered at the hunters. "We could have escaped. We didn't. End of story."

"You _were_ found in the forest." Zero pointed out.

"Not close to the end of your grounds though. And we weren't exactly 'running for it' when you got there, now were we?" Theta spat. "Maybe we just wanted some time to ourselves without half the base breathing down our necks."

Zero opened his mouth but X stopped him by reentering the conversation. "She's right. The cameras detect a third presence. The didn't attack out hunters- they appear to have used the chance as an excuse to relax." X shook his head as he sidled next to the larger hunter. :They didn't do anything wrong."

Zero turned back to the captured Mavericks, who were watching. The female looked smug.

"Fine. But I want them kept to their quarters for the rest of the day." With that Zero stormed off.

X watched him with a knowing expression, then glanced back to Omega and Theta. "I'm inclined to agree with him. You're to stay in your rooms for the rest of the day." Theta made to protest but Omega's hand on her shoulder stilled her words. She merely scowled at the blue hunter.

X noticed the exchange before finishing his thought. "Follow me." He led them back to their rooms and locked them in. After double checking and notifying the guards of the status, he went to go find Zero.

"I hate this…" The tempermental red hunter paced in one of the rec rooms. "They're hiding something. But what IS it?" He startled and looked over his shoulder as the door opened and X walked in.

"Talking to yourself again?" He teased gently.

"Was I being that loud?"

"Not particularly." X folded himself onto the couch by the windows and watched the trainees outside passively.

"Did they go quietly, at least?" Zero pressed.

"Yeah," X said distractedly, "They went just fine."

"Hey, is something wrong?"

X looked up surprised by the question. Zero stared back until X's gaze returned to the outside. "No, not really… it's just…" Suddenyl his eyes widened and he jerked upright.

"X?!" Zero yelped as his partner darted across the room.

"They're outside!"

Omega leaned against the door of a shed at the edge of the training field. Only the vague threats coming from within it spoke awkwardly of the situation- the trainer they had displaced was stuck inside. He had gone to fetch some materials when Theta and Omega had come upon the scene, and decided to make the best of the situation. Omega was making sure the trainer couldn't get out of the door, while he watched Theta zip around the trainees in a blur. She was using just basic physical maneuvers, martial arts, to spar with or disarm them.

She grinned up at him as she disabled one effortlessly. He nodded back. This was taking care of her boredom nicely- and providing some nice "training" for the inexperienced hunters. Blasters and swords aren't the only viable weapons, after all- and she wasn't actually harming them.

The Hunter in the shed had given up and was apparently sulking in a far corner.

Omega glanced back towards the doorways and saw X and Zero yet again running towards them. He almost sighed. Looked like the game would be ending soon. But not immediately. He moved away from his reclined position and approached the two Hunters.

"What the hell do you think you're doing out here?" Zero scolded the towering cyborg as X made to go 'rescue' the trainees. Omega reached out and held X by his chest plate.

" Hey! Let go!"

Omega ignored X's order. "We're playing." He said simply, as if it explained everything. His tone conveyed more- not to interrupt.

"Let go of X." Zero ordered sternly, trying to help his friend. His hands were itching to reach for his saber. Omega completely disregarded the hunters and turned his pale eyes back to watch Theta's 'game'.

The last trainees finally fell or forfeited to the red blur, and Theta stopped zipping around. She turned to flash her partner a gleeful grin and thumbs-up. Then she saw X and zero and the grin was replaced with a frown. Seeing the game at an end Omega released his grip on X, who immediately started back towards Theta and the fallen trainees.

The trainer had heard Zero and X's voices and had come out of the shed, and was already helping the 'younger' reploids away.

"You're not supposed to be out here." His voice was quiet, but clipped. His eyes betrayed how livid he was, even if his voice did not.

"How did you even get out?" Zero demanded when it became obvious X wasn't going to. Theta winked condescendingly.

"Our secret."

"Rooms. Now." X's voice was firm. Theta shrugged and started back towards the building, Omega in tow.

"God! They're worse than kids…" Zero grumbled. X's response was an incoherent sound of frustration. Zero sympathized. "How the hell are we supposed to train them?"

"I have /no/ idea…"

"You'd think we were slaughtering them…" Theta complained the next morning, sitting in an armchair. "I was just sparring…"

Omega agreed with the barest of nods from his place by the window. He was dressed in his uniform still, but Theta had changed into coveralls and a long t-shirt. They hid her mechanical parts well- she almost looked human.

"They overreacted." Was his opinion, since she seemed to expect one.

"Yep." Theta sighed and reached back to snag a book off a nearby shelve. "God, a comp manual." She tossed it aside and grabbed again. "Agh! A blasted robotics magazine!" She flung it across the room just as X opened the door. It hit him squarely in the face and he stopped to glower.

"Bored?" That was Zero, who came in behind X and picked up the fallen magazine.

"Hells yes!" Theta glowered at the blonde hunter. "All you have in this damned place are manuals and mechanics-based magazines!"

Zero tossed the magazine back at the cyborg-maverick with a shrug. :Almost everyone here is a reploid.

"I don't give a damn." Theta muttered loudly. "Don't you people have anything else?"

"Yes." X interjected before Zero could retort. "But we're not here to relieve your boredom." This got Omega's attention and he glanced sideways at the hunters from behind his white hair. "We came to fill you in on your situation."

"We're prisoners of war on a Maverick Hunter main base. What more could there be to know?" Theta scoffed. Omega hid his thoughts with a slow blink.

X and Zero found places to sit, trying to stay as far away from the Mavericks as possible. Even unarmed they could be dangerous, as they had proven to the trainees earlier.

"Simply, you have two options." Zero seemed agitated by being enclosed in the same room as the prisoners. "Either accept reformation by us, or be permanently disabled. Or rather, executed."

"Gee, and here I thought we'd be comfy here forever." The hunters couldn't actually tell if Theta was being sarcastic or not.

"Are you saying you'd rather be executed?" X asked, a bit surprised. Omega remained silent but Theta scowled.

"The choice between being a traitor or being dead isn't exactly an appealing one to make." She muttered. "And though some of us might take the cowards way-" she shot a dark look at Zero. "- I prefer loyalty."

"Loyalty to Sigma?" X nearly spat. He was beginning to grow frustrated. How could they even consider it? He was offering them a chance at life! The ultimatum came from Signas himself- X couldn't change the conditions if they decided t throw the chance away…

"At least think it over." He instructed, turning and leaving with Zero close behind.

When the door shut Theta groaned in frustration and sank back into her chair. "God I hate hunters…" She glanced up at her partner, who stared back with a silent message. "Yeah, yeah, I know… but at least im making it more believable for hen we pretend to defect."

"X is growing… exasperated." Omega observed slowly. Theta laughed.

"Don't worry, I wont get us killed. We supposedly have orders from Sigma to obey. That means he wont be killing us." But an unspoken word was clear.

Yet.


End file.
